Sausage Nduja Pasta (Pasta con Nduja)
Imagine crispy fried sausage with orecchiette pasta in a luxuriously creamy, smoky ’nduja, mascarpone, and tomato sauce, all finished off with plenty of Parmesan. Yum!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 6 good-quality pork sausages (about 14 oz/400 g or 4 US Italian links) casings removed
- Olive oil
- 10.5 oz cherry tomatoes about 2 cups
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp ’nduja paste
- 4.5 oz mascarpone about 1/2 cup
- Fresh basil
- 14 oz pasta I used orecchiette, but use what you have
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Parmesan for grating
Instructions
- In a pan with a drizzle of oil over medium heat, add the sausages and break them apart with a wooden spoon into small pieces. Fry until deep golden brown; you want them totally crisp. This will take 10-15 minutes.
- Once crisp, add the cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, and ’nduja paste. Stir and fry for a few minutes, then add in a good splash of water. Bubble gently for 10 minutes, pressing down with the back of the wooden spoon to encourage the tomatoes to burst.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water.
- Once the tomatoes have formed a sauce, add the mascarpone and basil leaves. Add a splash of pasta water as needed to form a smooth and delicious sauce. Then add the cooked pasta, Parmesan, and more fresh basil, and stir together. Add pasta water as needed to make it loose and silky.
- Scoop into bowls and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Make-ahead and storage
To store: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. To reheat: Reheat leftover pasta in a pan with a splash of water or cream over medium heat. Keep stirring until piping hot. Otherwise, reheating in the microwave until piping hot works well. To freeze: I wouldn't freeze this pasta dish as it will defrost grainy because of the creamy sauce. Make ahead: You can prep the sauce (until the end of step 2) the morning you want to serve it. Cover and refrigerate. When ready, get your sauce back on the heat, start cooking the pasta, and continue from step 3. However, this recipe is so quick and easy, I don't feel like this is necessary, and it's best made fresh!More quick tips
- Sausages: I have used good-quality pork sausages, but you can use all sorts of different flavors. You could also use ground pork (pork mince), just make sure you season it well and get it nice and brown and crispy.
- To remove sausage casings: All you have to do is score the skin with a knife, then pull it away. Having the sausages fridge-cold makes this easier.
- Pasta: You can use pretty much any pasta you have in your pantry. I feel that small dried pasta works best, such as rigatoni or orecchiette.
- Make it vegetarian-friendly: With a few simple swaps, you can make a delicious vegetarian sausage pasta. Opt for vegetarian-friendly sausages (you could even choose a flavored variety) and either omit the ’nduja or purchase a plant-based version like this Belazu Ve-du-ya (in the UK). Then all you have to do is swap the Parmesan for a vegetarian-friendly Parmesan-style hard cheese like Gran Moravia - although a strong cheddar would work well too.
Nutrition
Calories: 879kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 731mg | Potassium: 716mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1001IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 3mg